Michael "Mike" Matson (born November 5, 1984) is an American ocean rower and author who holds 2

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

2016 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – American Oarsmen

Michael and fellow

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

Rowing club coach, David Alviar, entered the 2015

Atlantic Rowing Race The Atlantic Rowing Race is an ocean rowing race from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, a distance of approximately 2,550 nm (2,930 statute miles or 4,700 km). The race was founded in 1997 by Sir Chay Blyth with subsequent races roughl ...

(Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge) as an awareness campaign to fund the first rowing boathouse within the City of Houston. The duo worked in conjunction with the

Buffalo Bayou Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving body of water which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately east through the Houston Ship ...

Partnership and Texas Dragon Boat Association to successfully construct Houston's first boathouse. Their boat was named Anne, in honor of Anne McCormick Sullivan, a firefighter friend of Michael who gave her life in the tragic

Southwest Inn fire The Southwest Inn fire in Houston, Texas on May 31, 2013 was a fire in an Indian restaurant that spread to an adjoining hotel. The fire claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception. Four firefighters were k ...

. Unfortunately, Michael tore his

Patellar tendon The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection when t ...

, and the team delayed to the 2016 race. With the Rice boathouse funded, the team added a third member, Brian Krauskopf, and changed names to the American Oarsmen. The team's crossing was listed as one of the "16 things to look forward to in 2016" according to the Houston Chronicle. The team left La Gomera on December 14, 2016, and arrived at

Nelson's Dockyard Nelson's Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, located in Saint Paul Parish on the island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda. It is part of Nelson's Dockyard National Park, which also contains Clarence House and ...

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

after 49 days, 14 hours, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds at sea. The team interacted with students via satellite phone before and during the crossing. This crossing earned the crew 2 Guinness World Records for being both the (1) First and the (2) Fastest trio (or three-manned rowboat) to cross the Atlantic.

Other information

Michael holds a PhD in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

from

and is the author of

Inorganic chemistry Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two disci ...

for Dummies ''For Dummies'' is an extensive series of instructional reference books which are intended to present non-intimidating guides for readers new to the various topics covered. The series has been a worldwide success with editions in numerous lang ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matson, Michael 1984 births Living people American male rowers Ocean rowers Rice University alumni